Printing-press.



A. E. DOWE-LL.

PRINTING PRESS.

' nrmonron nun 11.24, 1901.

Patented Oct. 13, '1908.

WITN $555 INVENTOR:

flit/writ fiowell ARTHUR E. DOWELL, OF WASHINGTON,

PLEX PRINTING PRESS OF MICHIGAN.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO DU- COMPANY, OF BATTLE CREEK,MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION PRIN TIN G-PRE SS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 24, 1907. Serial No. 353,922.

Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. DOWELL, of Washington, in the District ofColumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPrinting-Presses; and I hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

The present invention is an improvement in flat bed type-printingwebperfecting presses; its object is to enable a press of the samegeneral construction as the well-known duplex press(which as nowconstructed is capable of perfecting newspapers of only eight pages orless with'two beds and two cylinders,)to produce newspapers of anydesired number of pages up to sixteen (in multiples of two) by using twobeds and two cylinders only. And when printing two, four, six, eight,twelve or sixteen pages, only one web need be used of proper width; andwhen printing ten or fourteen pages two webs can be used, or one web canbe used if split before being fed into the press.

The invention therefore consists in the improved construction and novelmethod of operating the press as hereinafter explained and will be fullyunderstood from the following specifications in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a longitudinaldiagrammatical sectional elevation through a complete press. Figs. 2, 3,4, and 5, are diagrammatical views showing the arrangement of forms onthe beds of the press to print different sized papers.

The type-beds 1, 1*, as shown are arranged as in the well-known duplexflat bed press. Impression cylinders 2, 2 are reciprocated back andforth over these beds. The beds are made long enough to contain two rowsof typeforms, as indicated in diagrams Figs. 2 to 5, and the cylindershave a travel sufiicient to carry them clear across the ty e-forms.

In t e ordinary eight-page duplex press there is but one row oftype-forms placed on each bed each row can contain as many as fourpage-forms, and the total capacity of the press is eight newspaper pagesat each operation. If the same width of press is maintained, but thelength of beds doubled, so that each bed can contain two rows ofpageforms, (eight page-forms on each bed); the maximum capacity of thepress would be sixteen pages. The only change thus far involved in theordinary duplexpress would be increasing the travel of the cylinders,and increasing the speed and capacity of the feeding and deliveringmechanisms so that they will feed and deliver the proper amount of webfor the double length of impression; and make the looping mechanismtakecare of the extra length of web fed in by the feed mechanism anddemanded by the delivery mechanism during impressions, and also shiftthe web properly over the beds in the intervals between im ressions.Such ress vwould be capable of printing four, eight,

twelve, or sixteen pages from one web at each operation. ten or fourteenpages, as the forms cannot be arranged so as to produce such result withone web, without also producing two blank pages.

The object of this invention is to enable such press to produce ten orfourteen pages also, and for this purpose I provide the press with anauxiliary feed and delivery mechanism adapted to feed a second web (orone part of a split web) through the press at a It cannot however printslower speed than the other web, (or part of split web) so that whileeight, or twelve pages are printed on one web, two pages can be printedon the second web; and the two webs assembled.

Further objects are to enable the webs to be printed simultaneously bythe same beds and cylinders, and to move the narrow web through thepress at a less speed than the wide web, so that successive impressionscan be imprinted on the narrow we from single page-forms on each bed,while the wide web is simultaneously imprinted by the double page-formson each bed. 7

The invention will be clearly understood from the following explanationof the drawlngs.

When printing four, eight, twelve, or sixteen pages, but one Web W isemployed, which I term the wide web. This web is led in from a rollthrough the infeed mechanism 3, under guide 4, over suitable loopingrollers, to guide 4, to cylinder guide 4 down between cylinder 2 and bed1, up over cylinder guide 4", back to guide 4, up over guide 4 tocylinder guide 4*, down between cylinder 2 andbed 1?, overcylinder guide4 to guide 4 over upper looping devices to the delivery 6. The partsmentioned may be constructed and operated as in the duplex press, theweb being fed, delivered and looped so that impressions aretakentherefrom on each bed as in the duplex press. But owing to the useof two rows of page.- forms on each bed, there is more web fed anddelivered during impressions, and more web shifted between the beds andcylinders after impressions than in the ordinary duplex press where therows of forms are but one page wide.

The arrangement of forms for printing eight, twelve and sixteen pages isindicated in diagram Figs. 4, 3, 2, and only one wide web W is required.

When printing ten or fourteen pages, I use two webs, or rather one wideweb split into two parts, one web W for eight or twelvepages isemployed, and another web to for two pages; the forms for eight ortwelve pages are arranged in two rows on the beds as above described,and as they would be if only an eight or twelve page aper was to beproduced. Then on each lEed beside the double rows of forms thereon, isplaced a one-page-form, which may be located centrally of or at eitherside of the bed, as de sired, so that the impressions taken therefromwill properly register. Diagram Fig. 4 shows the arrangement of formsfor a tenpage paper-and diagram Fig. 5 shows the arrangement for afourteen page paper; the forms are numbered in the figures so that theirarrangement will be readily-understood. Then a second web to (which Iterm the narrow web) is led through the press, beside web W from theguide 4 to the guide 4 so that such second web (or part web) isimprinted at the same time and by the same means as the wide web (orpart web) W The narrow web w however has to travel but half as rapidlyas the wide web, as it only has to be shifted one page length or widthafter each printing operation, while web W has to be shifted two pagewidths or lengths, after each printing operation. Therefore while web tocan be guided through the press and printed by the same means as web W,it has to be fed and delivered at a different speed, and correspondinglylooped. To take care of web w, I provide an auxiliary feed mech anism 3*which can be conveniently arranged at one side of the press beside themain feed mechanism 3, but will operate to feed web to at sayapproximately half the speedat which web W is fed. Simultaneously anauxiliary delivery mechanism 6 is arranged in the press beside thedelivery mechanism 6, and operating to deliver web wat approximatelyhalf the speed of delivery of'web IN. This difference in the in-feed anddelivery of webs W, w, necessitates a corresponding variation in extentof the looping of such webs. The roll 3 may be driven by gear 3*, andintermediate. gear 5 from a gear 5 on the shaft 5 of cam 5. Roll 3* isdriven from gear 3*, at half speed, by gear 3. Roll 6 has a gear 6meshing with a larger gear 7 on roll 6; and roll 6* is driven by gear 7and intermediates 7 7 from gear 3 on roll 3*. In this way the desiredrelative speeds of the web feeding and delivering rolls can be obtained.

While each web may be looped independently if desired, a very simpleandconvenient means for looping them correctly and in proper relationand time, is shown in the drawings, in which the ordinary loopingmechanism of the duplex press is employed with very slight modification.The looping frame 5 is operated by lever 5 and cam 5' as in the ordinaryduplex press. This frame carries looping rollers 5 5 as in the ordinaryduplex press; and it also carries addi' tional looping rollers 5 5,beside the rollers 5 5. And on the frame of the press in addition to theusual guides 4 4 two guides 49,4 are employed. The wide web W is loopedover both rollers 5 5 and un der both rollers 4 4 before entering theprinting mechanism; and it is looped over both rollers 4 4 and underboth rollers 5", 5 after leaving the printing mechanism. Whereas the webto is looped only over one roller, say 5*, before reaching the printingmechanism and only over one roller, say 5, after beingprinted-consequently it will be observed that the web WV-by reason ofthe double loops,will be taken up by the lower loopers and given out bythe upper loopers, twice as fast as the web w will be, and each web willbe properly looped, and shifted through. the press in the proper timeand manner, and practically by the same mechanism, yet the narrow web wis fed and delivered at but half the speed of the wide web W. In orderto assemble the webs properly, the web to may be severed by cutting\cylinders 7 after passing delivery 6 and.

then carried forward at proper speed by tapes 7 to the foldingmechanism. The means for assembling the two webs however forms no partof present invention and any of the well-known devices can be used.

While the invention will be described as adapted to duplex presses, itis equally applicable to presses in which the beds are arranged indifferent relations to each other or to the cylinders, and can be alsoembodied in a single-acting press, and in one adapted to print only oneside of a web.

Having described my inventionwhat I claim as new v and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. In combination a printing couple, guides fordirecting two parallel webs through the printing couple side by side,and

means for feeding and delivering said webs at relatively differentspeeds and a single looping mechanism for both webs.

2. In combination a printing couple, and means for feeding a pluralityof webs side by side through said couple, and means for moving one webforward faster than the other and a single looping mechanism for bothwebs.

3. In a web printing press, the combination of a bed, and a cylinderco-acting therewith; and means for feeding two Webs at different speedsbetween the bed and cylinder and a single looping mechanism for bothwebs.

4. The combination of a bed and cylinder printing couple, guides fordirecting two parallel webs between the printing couple side by side,and means for feeding said webs through the press at different speedsand a single looping mechanism for both webs.

5. In combination with a bed and cylinder printing couple, means forfeeding two webs side by side between the bed and cylinder, and a singlelooping means for moving a greater length of one web than of the otherbetween the bed and cylinder after impres sions.

6. In a web printing press, the combination of a stationary bed, and areciprocating cylinder coacting therewith; with means'for feeding twowebs at different speeds between the bed and cylinder to besimultaneously printed thereby and a single looping mechanism for bothwebs.

7. In combination with a bed and cylinder printing couple, means fordirecting two webs at different speeds between the bed and cylinder,feeding and delivering mechanism for the fast web and feeding anddelivery mechanism for the slow web and a single web looping mechanism.

8. The combination of a bed and cylinder printing couple, guides fordirecting webs of paper between the bed and cylinder, a plurality of webmanipulating mechanisms op erating at different speeds, and adapted tomove a plurality of webs through the ress at different speeds and asingle web lboping mechanism.

9. In combination a bed and cylinder, and guides for directing a web orwebs between the bed and cylinder; feeding, and delivering mechanism formoving one web at a predetermined speed through the press, and feeding,and delivering mechanism for moving a second web through the press at adifferent rate of speed and a single web looping mechanism.

10. In combination a pair of beds and cylinders, and guides fordirecting a pair of webs successively between the beds and cylinders,with a set of feeding, and delivering mechanisms for moving one webthrough the press, and a second set of feeding, and delivering mechanismfor moving the second web through the press at a different rate ofmovement and a single web looping mechanism.

11. The combination of two stationary beds and two reciprocatingcylinders, and guides for directing webs of paper between the beds andcylinders; with a plurality of Web feeding mechanisms operating atdifferent speeds and adapted to move the several webs through the pressat different rates of speed and a single looping mechanism operating onboth webs.

12. The combination of a bed and cylinder printing couple, guides fordirecting a plurality of webs side by side between the bed and cylinder,a plurality of continuously acting web feeding mechanisms operating atdifferent speeds, a plurality of continuously acting web deliveringmechanisms operating at different speeds wherebya plurality of webs arefed to and delivered from the press at different relative speeds, and acompensating device whereby the intermediate portions of the webs in thepress are simultaneously stopped during impressions and shifted for-'ward after impressions.

13. The combination of a pair of stationary beds and co-actingimpression cylinders and guides for directing a plurality of webs sideby side successively between the beds and cylinders; with a continuouslyacting feeding mechanism for each web, a continu ously acting deliveringmechanism for each web whereby a plurality of webs are fed to anddelivered from the press at different relative speeds, and a loopingmechanism whereby the intermediate portion of each web is simultaneouslystopped during impressions and shifted forward after impres- 810118.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR E. DOWELL.

Witnesses:

JOHN L. FLETCHER, JAMES R. MANSFIELD.

